Kenneth Rijock

Monday, November 28, 2016

Today, November 28, 2016, the United States Supreme Court denied the Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, filed by R Allen Stanford, whose prior District Court conviction and sentence was affirmed by the Fifth Circuit. Stanford's best opportunity to revisit his criminal case has failed; any post-conviction relief that he seeks in the future is entirely discretionary with the District Court, and generally has a poor chance of success.

Stanford's presumptive release date is April 17, 2105, meaning that he will spend the rest of his life in custody; this may not satisfy his many victims, but it does more or less close the chapter on his criminal prosecution. His Stanford International Bank left victims strewn all over the Western Hemisphere, and the Ponzi scheme Stanford operated cost many Americans their life savings. A sentence, such as the one in this case. that exceeds the life expectancy of a major Ponzi schemer, though stiff, could serve to deter future potential Ponzis from engaging in this type of criminal conduct.
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* Robert Allen Stanford vs. United States, Case No.: 15-1490 ( US Sup. Ct.).